Easel for field use, convertible into an easel carrying a sunshade



Oct. 12,1926. 1,602,980

L. G. JAc uE I EASEL FOR FIELD USE, CONVERTIBLE INTO AN EASEL CARRYING kSUNSHADE Filed May 27. 1925 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 12,1926; 1,602,980

- G. JACQUE v msm. FOR FIELD uss, couvsamsw m'ro AN EASEL CARRYING ASU,NSHADE' Filed May 27. 1925 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 12,1926. 1,602,980 5L. G. JACQUE CONVERTIBLE INTO AN EASEL CARRYING A SUNSHADE Filed. May2'7, 1925 EASEL FOR FIELD USE,

4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Oct. 12 1926. 1,602,980

. L. G. JACQUE EASEL FORFIELD USE, CONVERTIBLE INTO AN EA'S'EL CARRYINGA SUNSHADE 7 Filed May 27, 1925 4 sifts-sn'eet 4 Patented Oct. 12, 1926.

. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS GASTON JACQUE, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

EASEL FOR FIELD. USE, CONVERTIBLE INTO AN EASEL CARRYING A SUNSHADE,

Application filed May 27, 1925, Serial no. 33,202, and in Belgium June10, 1924.

The known easels for field use offer two principal drawbacks; firstlythey are not of a; substantial constructiomland secondly it becomesnecessary to employ an umbrella or like sunshade disposed at the rear ofthe artist in order to. afford a certain protection from the sun. Butthe umbrella will offer but an imperfect protection, and the artist isthus obliged to paint pictures .of small ii) size and also to work inthe sitting position.

Casesoften arise in which the umbrella cannot be mounted by reason ofthe excessive hardness of the ground. 2

.My invention has for its object to obviate all such drawbacks by theuse of a folding easel which is ofa mostsubstantial con-. struction andmay comprise a sunshade consisting of a canvas frame which can beadjusted in all directions so thatthe artist is enabled to work inthesitting or the standing position, and to paint pictures oflarge size,irrespectively of the position of the sun. The said easel is chieflyadaptedfor printing and drawing in the field,but it :3 mayalso beemployedin studios.

The said device is shown by way ofexample in the appendeddrawings invarious positions, and chiefly as follows.

Fig. 1 shows the said easel as; adapted for work in the standingposition, and Fig. 2 represents the same as adapted for work in thesitting position.

Fig. 3 shows another position for work whether sitting or standing, andFig. 4 resun.

Figs. 5 to 11 show details of the apparatus on a larger scale, and Figs.12 to 14 modified forms of construction.

The easel properly so called consists, like the known easels, of threerods or legs 1 consisting of sections either telescoping or slidableupon each other. or-hinged or pivoted together, and of a fourth rod 2which is slidable on the rear leg; said rod which has a shorter lengthis provided at the end with a claw and a clamping screw whereby thepicture will be maintained at all desired inclinations.

The three legs 1 are pivoted at the top in the usual manner, and areheld with the proper spacing by three small cross-pieces 3, made in twotelescoping parts with an adjustment screw, which are mounted by auniversal joint upon one of the said legs, and can be hooked at theother end to the lates to a position for work when facing the adjacentleg. By the useof the cross-pieces 3 which are extensible and can beinclined inall directions, the legs lcan be separated or broughttogether to any desired extent, thus enabling the artist to paintpictures of all sizes, while at the same time he has the advantageof aneasel which is as substantial as a studio easel.

The cl'osspieces or rod elements 3 may be employed with other types ofeasel than the one described, and in a more general man ner, theyconstitute an improved holding means for tripods which are used withcameras, geodesic or levelling instruments and the like. They may bemade of wood or metal; for instance the rodelement 3 (Fig. 9) is ofwood, and it comprises two rods 3 3" in slidable connection and held inposition by set screws. The pivot device consists of a hinge 27 (forhorizontal motion) apivot joint 28 (for vertical motion) and a pin or Vspindle 29 (for rotation), whereby the rod element is movable inalldirections.

The rod element shown in Fig. 1,0 ismetallic and consists of two tubeswhich are mounted together onthe knowntelescoping and rotatingprinciple, .so thatthe spindle 29 may now be dispensed with. This formis adapted for use upon wood easels, while the form shown in Fig. 11 isintended to be clamped upon metal easels by means of the collar 30. a

The two front legs of the easel carry the supports or collars 4for'holding the canvas frame or picture backing; said collars areslidable upon the legs of the easel; they comprise the slotted sector 5and the pivot mounting 6 (Fig. 5) whereby their movable parts may assumethe horizontal position at all times or may be inclined for supportinground or oval canvas frames or like picture backing.

The top piece 7 connecting together the three legs is provided with aclamping screw 8 for holding the arm supporting the sun shade 9; saidarm consists of a rod 10 having pivoted thereto a lever comprising twopivoted branches 11 and 11 (Fig. 6) to the lever 10 is pivoted the strut12 whose upper end is pivoted to the member 13 slidable on the lever 11.At the end of the latter is the fork 14 in which may be secured, by ascrew 15, a. clamp 16 which holds the frame of the sunshade. The latterconsists of the three rods 17 provided with screws and nuts, upon whichis sewed the piece of canvas 18,

it being stretched by means of the pivoted rods 19 and 20. The sunshadeis held at the rear by the clamp 16 and at the front by the twotelescoping legs 92 with pointed ends.

he legs 22 may be sunk in the ground, or may be held by the members 23,Fig. 8, which are susceptible of a double movement of rotation and aresecured to the guides of the front legs of the easel. The lower end ofsaid members 23 will form a vise 25 holding the ends of the rods 22. Twoadditional movable guides 26 provided with clamping screws are mounteduponthe lower part of the front legs of the easel, whereby the sunshadearrangement may be installed in such manner that the artist shall beenabled to work while seated.

I prefer to employ a connection between the legs 22 and the rods 19 suchas is shown in Fig. 7, it comprising a. metal connecting plate 24- whichcan be hinged as well as rotated.

Obviously, the form of construction hereinbefore described by way ofexample is susceptible of all desired modifications without departingfrom the principle of the invention. For instance the several joints andconnecting devices may be of a. different character according as theapparatus is constructed of wood or metal.

My said easel may be adapted to hold any desired form of sunshade.

For this purpose the arm holding the sun shade (Fig. 12) consists of arod 31 to the top of which is pivoted the support 32, To the bottom ofthe rod 31 is pivoted at 41 the telescoping support 84 provided with aclamping screw; said support as well as the support 33 ends in a clamp35, 36 holding the sunshade handle. To the bottom of the rod 31 ispivoted at 11 a second folding rod support 3738 provided with the pivotjoint 39 which is suitably attached to the point of pivoting of the rods32 and 33; said folding support 37-38 serves for the tight holding ofthe aforesaid arm carrying the sunshade, in all positions. At the lowerpart of the rod 31 is disposed the connecting member 42 whereof the nut13 is screwed upon the screwthreaded part 14 secured to the top of theeasel; I may replace this connection by a set screw. The pivot joints ofthe said arm are in all cases held by set screws. Figs. 13 and 1 1 showdifferent positions of the sunshade.

I claim:

1. An easel comprising a folding support, an arm carried by saidsupport, a pivoted lever on said arm, a strut pivoted to said arm, theupper end of said lever being provided with a member slidable thereon,and to which the upper end of said strut is pivoted, and a jointedsunshade frame, and a clamp connecting the same to said lever.

2. An easel comprising a folding support, a pivoted forked lever carriedby said support, adjustable legs detachably held by said support, asunshade, a frame foldable and pivotally supported and carried by saidlegs and support and lever and mounted for use in elevated or loweredposition, a strut and a member connected with said strut for holding thesunshade in different positions.

Signed at Paris, Seine, France, this fifteenth day of May, 1925.

LOUIS GASTON JACQUE.

